2011 Hyundai Sonata Se on 2040-cars

Auto blog

NHTSA opens probe into 3 million Kia, Hyundai vehicles for fire risks

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Monday it would open a new safety defect investigation into three million Hyundai and Kia vehicles for fires not caused by crashes. The investigation is in response to a petition seeking a probe by the Center for Auto Safety. The auto safety agency since 2007 has been investigating some Hyundai and Kia vehicles for fire risks. The South Korean automakers have recalled more than 2.3 million vehicles since 2015 to address various engine fire risks. Hyundai did not immediately comment, while Kia did not immediately respond to a request for comment. NHTSA said the decision to initiate the additional safety defect probe was based on its analysis of information received from multiple manufacturers, consumer complaints and other sources. Last month, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said a group of U.S. states is investigating Hyundai and Kia for potential unfair and deceptive acts related to reports of hundreds of vehicle fires. In November, Reuters reported that federal prosecutors had launched a criminal investigation into Hyundai and Kia to determine if vehicle recalls linked to engine defects had been conducted properly. Reuters reported in January that the companies would offer software upgrades for 3.7 million vehicles not being recalled. A South Korean whistleblower in 2016 reported concerns to NHTSA, which has been probing the timeliness of three U.S. recalls and whether they covered enough vehicles. In 2015, Hyundai recalled 470,000 U.S. Sonata sedans, saying engine failure would result in a vehicle stall, increasing the risk of a crash. At the time, Kia did not recall its vehicles, which share the same "Theta II" engines. In March 2017, Hyundai expanded its original U.S. recall to 572,000 Sonata and Santa Fe Sport vehicles with those Theta II engines, citing the same issue involving manufacturing debris. On the same day, Kia also recalled 618,000 Optima, Sorento and Sportage vehicles, all of which use the same engine.Reporting by David Shepardson.

2017 Hyundai Elantra Awarded Top IIHS Safety Rating | Autoblog Minute

In vehicle safety news, the Hyundai Elantra has snagged a Top Safety Pick+rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Hyundai Autoblog Minute Videos Original Video crash test autos

Next Hyundai Santa Fe carries Kona cues

Last week we showed you Hyundai's newest and smallest crossover, the Kona. This week, we bring you the newest version of Hyundai's largest crossover, the Santa Fe, albeit beneath much camouflage. There's a bigger connection between these two vehicles than just timing and size contrast, though. They appear to share some styling cues. We can see through the vinyl draperies on the nose and tell that it has an aggressive version of the Hyundai cascading grille, much like the Kona. It also has the slender top headlight element combined with larger, separate elements lower in the fascia, again like the little crossover. The camouflage also fits closely enough to the body to reveal that the main grille will be flanked by large vents that encompass the lower headlamps. We also see some Recaro racing seats through the windshield, but we doubt those will make production. Prove us wrong, Hyundai! Moving to the sides and tail, there are fewer details to discern. The size looks similar to the current model, and the roofline and window lines also look similar. The rear taillights do look slimmer than those on the present Santa Fe. As for when we may see this updated Santa Fe, we wouldn't expect a reveal until next spring at the earliest, possibly next fall, as a 2019 model. The reason for this is primarily the fact that the current Santa Fe was just refreshed for 2017, so Hyundai will likely give that update a little bit of breathing room. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe Spy Shots View 10 Photos Image Credit: CarPix Spy Photos Hyundai Crossover Economy Cars hyundai santa fe